Vikings
The Vikings are a group of warriors, traders, and colonizers who live in Scandinavia between the 8th and 11th centuries. It was the Vikings who are responsible for extending the limits of their time. Longships: The Staff of the Viking Life For centuries, the Viking war ship has been called a “drakkar.” But this Scandinavian word designates the frightening figures of wood, dragon or serpent, which decorate the prows of the ships. Today, historians prefer to use the word longship, or “langskip,” to talk about the ships of the Vikings’ warlike expeditions. Each longship measures 75 feet (23 meters) long and 16 feet (5 meters) wide. It can accommodate up to a hundred men on board. It is so fast that it has neither bridge nor hold and sails as well on the ocean as on the rivers. Its rudder is a simple ream of wood 10 feet (3 meters) long. This bar, used to steer the longship, is used with one hand, which allows the helmsman to hold the sail string, sometimes tinged in red, to signal himself at sea. The flag, a rectangle made of canvas, floats in the wind hung on the pine mast, 39 feet (12 meters) high. And when the wind fades, the men seize the oars. They are fixed in thole pins, notches which the Vikings have invented. Above them, the Vikings, who think of everything, slide their shields into shield-holders. The hull of the longship, made of oak planks, is solid, supple, and waterproof. In spite of everything, during the crossing, the Vikings, sitting on wooden chests, often have their backsides and feet in the water. Indeed, the low height of the hull, hardly 6½ feet (2 meters), obliges the sailors to use a kind of wooden spoon, called a scoop, to empty the seawater that constantly enters the boat! Outstanding Craftsmen In the 9th century, Viking blacksmiths produce incredible tools: hammers, pliers, pincers, nails, and rivets, as well as stirrups and bits for their horses. They make small pieces of iron into hinges and locks and bigger pieces into buckets and cauldrons. For the mistress of the house, these iron craftsmen manufacture keys that she carries as well as a requisite to nails around her neck or tied to her apron. The most skilled craftsmen make fierce weapons: axes, longswords, cutlasses, spearheads, and shields. Before going to battle, the warriors put on coats of mail and wear iron helmets but without horns, of course! Some blacksmiths are veritable artists. They make rings, copper bracelets, gold and silver torques (these are rigid necklaces), and pendants decorated with fabulous animals. Men and women adore brooches, gold and silver clips for the chief and his family. But most often made of iron, these brooches are made in a series of clay molds. They keep the woman’s apron on her tunic and close the man’s fur cloak on a very cold day. A Sturdy Grass House The Vikings are warriors of the sea. But when they are in their lands, they are farmers. The Vikings live on farms, either isolated or clustered in villages as in Denmark. Near the farm, from the 8th century on, there is often a barn, sometimes a dairy and even a stable where cows, goats, and sheep shelter in the winter. The house itself is about 65 feet (20 meters) long. Its basement is made of stone while the walls are made of pine beams and a mixture of dirt and straw. But the whole house is covered with earth, even the roof on which grows grass. Nothing better to protect its inhabitants from the cold! Inside, it is very dark because there are few openings. A hole in the roof only lets smoke from the fireplace escape. The Viking lives with his often-several wives and his children. Everyone shares the single room topped by rows of pillars. The furniture is simple: chests and large benches serve as seats and beds. For a long time, it has been said that the Vikings are barbarians who never wash. But to this day, the Vikings themselves prove to be the opposite. In fact, in the house or near the farm, you can find traces of a stove, the ancestor of the bathroom. The Vikings like to take hot water and steam baths. Valhalla In the 9th century, Vikings who travel a lot often die at sea, drowning because the crossings are dangerous and the boats break or are wrecked. But the wealthiest, such as chiefs, have spectacular tombs. They are buried in boats which are burnt or buried under a mound of earth. If a Viking is killed during an expedition, his ship is hauled onto the ground and covered with a mound. Inside these burials are found food, weapons, sometimes furniture, and jewelry. In Denmark, tombs of warriors have been discovered with skeletons of horses. But the richest of Viking tombs was discovered in Norway, near Oslo, at Oseberg. Inside the ship, broken into a thousand pieces but preserved by clay, then reconstructed and preserved in a museum, we find the skeletons of two women and an incredible number of objects: sledges, a wagon, kitchen utensils, shoes, and even a weaving loom. Passionate about sailing and one in the best sailors of medieval Europe, the Viking continues, after his death, to sail on a boat, off to Valhalla. Signs Engraved in Stone For a long time, it’s been said that the Vikings don’t know how to write. But that’s false. The most learned of them use signs called “runes.” This writing dates from around the 3rd century AD and was not invented by the Vikings but by Germanic tribes. Runes are engraved on wood, bone, metal, as well as stone. Several raised stones, dating from around the 8th century, have been found in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland and Ireland. These are installed at crossroads, near a bridge or an important place, such as the Thing, where the Vikings gather to elect a chief or decide on laws. Runic inscriptions are short texts that are sometimes very mysterious and linked to magic or sorcery. Many are funerary inscriptions that evoke the death of an important man, the glorious journey of a chief, or the travels of a trader who never returned to his native land. One of these stones, discovered in Denmark, was raised by King Harald Bluetooth in honor of his parents. Then, from the 11th century onwards, the most learned people recount episodes of their history. They adopt a new medium: parchment. They write sagas, long narratives that tell of the exploits of Viking heroes, and eddas, which are poems. Masters of Navigation! In the winter, the Vikings prefer to stay on their lands covered with ice and snow, so they leave their boats. Whether merchants or fighters, they go on expeditions between spring and fall. The Vikings sail along the coasts because they don’t have nautical charts. On the high seas, they use a kind of astrolabe, a piece of wood that slides on a rod and allows them to measure the height of the stars above the horizon. They use a weather vane installed at the bow to calculate the wind’s strength. And some even possess a sunstone, a kind of crystal that allows them to locate the position of the sun on misty or foggy days at sea. But if these instruments no longer work, the Vikings hardly ever get lost. Formidable sailors, they know how to estimate their speed according to the strength and direction of the winds. They know the stars, the sound of the waves, the cry of the birds, the fish, and the whales, as many precious clues that make it possible to find oneself at sea. Quite often, the Vikings don’t get too adventurous. They take with them an experienced sailor, who has already made the voyage and who knows the sea routes. The Vikings are such great sailors that they have given the English words “keel” and “starboard.” Pillaging and Plundering Between the 8th and 11th centuries, the Vikings are the champions of looting in both England and France. If they take a few prisoners and set fire to rich houses in Rouen or Paris, it is the abbeys and monasteries that are their favorite targets. After seeing their victims, the Vikings, who are crafty, noiselessly dock on the night before going to the attack, at dawn. The monks who devote their time to prayer and field work are easy prey because they are unarmed. When they penetrate the monasteries, the Vikings utter frightening shrieks. Then, they go to the chapel where the terrified monks seek refuge. Very quickly, the Vikings are the masters of the place. They plunder precious objects: crosses and chalices made of gold or silver. In the copyists’ studio, they steal emeralds and rubies which decorate the books. Then, they go to the stables, steal the best horses, set fire to the monastery, and make off across the fields. Sometimes, Vikings capture monks, who will become their slaves. Before returning home or leaving for another raid, the Vikings exchange some of their booty for wheat, salt, oil, or honey. But back in Scandinavia, they will transform a large part of their treasure into jewelry and drinking cups! Famous Vikings * Hastein * Rurik * Rollo * Eric the Red * Leif Ericsson Category:Vikings Category:Middle Ages Category:Time Periods